Family says they can’t grieve properly until they get answers on how Griffin lineman died

GRIFFIN, Ga. — The family of a city worker killed while working on power lines say they can’t properly grieve until they find out how this happened.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

The daughter of Griffin lineman Eric Weems says it seemed like her father had superpowers.

“I have this thing. I call him the Black Superman,” she told Channel 2′s Tom Jones.

Weems’ brother says he wasn’t just their hero.

“We think he was just a family hero. But when you look at the outpouring of support from the city of Griffin, he was a local hero more than anything,” Howard Weems explained.

“Hi. My name is Eric Weems. I’m a lineman here at the city of Griffin.”

That was the 52-year-old Weems in a video recorded by his employer. In the video, Weems explains how he loves his job. He also talked about the dangers of working around power lines.

“You almost have to remind yourself every time you go in the bucket to watch out for this to watch out for that,” Eric Weems explained.

TRENDING STORIES:

• Truck carrying marble slabs loses load in middle of I-285 in Sandy Springs
• Georgia moves forward in creating voucher program for private and home schools
• Hacker shows how criminals are stealing your SNAP benefits, and how to protect yourself

Weems died Nov. 13 while working on power lines at Spalding and Little Street. The city says his equipment malfunctioned. Jones was at the scene that day and noticed the arm that lifted the bucket at the scene seemed to have disconnected.

Howard Weems says his family is devastated. They want to know how this happened.

“I think we can grieve more once we know what happened. How it happened,” Howard Weems said.

“He was always in this truck,” Weems’ daughter told Jones outside city hall where his truck is adorned with flowers, balloons, and his work helmet and belt. “Basically more than his own car.”

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

Weems’ daughter says she appreciates the outpouring of support for her father. But she says she too wants to know what happened.

“I’m looking for answers. I want to know,” she said.

The family has hired an attorney to look into what happened.

A second worker was injured but is expected to be OK. Weems worked for the city for 15 years.

©2024 Cox Media Group